Can The Dems Get 60 Seats?

It's possible.

Handicapping the latest in the 2008 Senate Races, the possibility exists for the Democrats to even make as many as 10-11 gains. It seems hard to believe, but it's entirely possible;

Former Governors Mark Warner (D-Virginia) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-New Hampshire) look poised to enter their respective states' Senate races next year. Both hold commanding leads over any potential Republican rivals, Warner over Congressman Tom Davis or former Governor Jim Gilmore and Shaheen over Incumbent Senator John Sununu, effectively making them possible lost causes for the GOP. The open seat in Colorado provides the Democrats still with their best pickup opportunity, and the freshly open seat in Nebraska increases the headaches for the Republicans should former Democratic Senator Bob Kerrey jump into the race.

Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Norm Coleman (R-Minnesota) are both facing very tough reelection campaigns in blue states, while Democrats have found a strong candidate in State House Speaker Jeff Merkley to run against Gordon Smith (R-Oregon).

That's seven seats already. Republicans may even see potentially competitive races in North Carolina (Elizabeth Dole) and Alaska (Ted Stevens), the latter of whom is showered in scandal. The heat may have died down over the Attorney Firing Scandal since Alberto Gonzales resigned, but Democrats don't look to let Pete Domenici (R-New Mexico) forget about it.

And then there's Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky), who may face a strong challenger in Kentucky Attorney General Greg Stumbo or Lexington Congressman Ben Chandler.

That's 11 seats...in the unlikely scenario the Democrats sweep them all, that would give them an astonishing 62 seats, a majority unheard of since the 1970's, and even should they loose their two vulnerable seats in Louisiana and South Dakota, Democrats would still have 60...enough to make their majority filibuster proof.

20 Democrats Cosponser Gonzales Impeachment

The impeachment resolution introduced by Rep. Jay Inslee (D-Washington) is gaining some support from some twenty House Democrats, not all of them liberal lions.

Currently the cosponsors include;

Rep. Mike Arcuri (D-New York)
Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin)
Rep. Xavier Beccera (D-California)
Rep. Shelley Berkley (D-Nevada)
Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Oregon)
Rep. Bruce Braley (D-Iowa)
Rep. Ben Chandler (D-Kentucky)
Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-New York)
Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tennessee)
Rep. Pete DeFazio (D-Oregon)
Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minnesota)
Rep. Barney Frank (D-Massachusetts)
Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Arizona)
Rep. Darlene Hooley (D-Oregon)
Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Georgia)
Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minnesota)
Rep. Dennis Moore (D-Kansas)
Rep. Ellen Tauscher (D-California)
Rep. Tom Udall (D-New Mexico)
Rep. Davis Wu (D-Oregon)

Gonzales To Be Impeached?

Maybe.

MSNBC just reported that a resolution seeking the impeachment of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales will be introduced by Rep. Jay Inslee (D-Washington)

Expect the Republicans to call it political theater. Expect the Democrats to move forward with the people's blessings.

Democrats Grow Some

And are ready to take the President on.

First Democratic Senators are asking for a special prosecutor to investigate whether or not the Attorney General committed perjury when testifying before the Judiciary Committee on the firing of the eight prosecutors last fall.

Then the House Judiciary Committee issued contempt citations to Harriet Miers and Josh Bolten for refusing to show up to hearings when subpoenaed.

Now, Congress had subpoenaed Karl Rove.

The White House calls the moves pathetic and continues to use their "they're trying to kick us when we're down" excuse. Of course they are, because that's what the American people want...to kick you now that you're down you lying, chauvenstic, xenophobic, war-loving, bible-thumping, gay-bashing, fascists

The Vote Of No Confidence

Cloture fell short, as expected

the vote was 53-38-1 with 7 not voting;

Seven Republicans joined 46 Democrats to vote for cloture;

Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minnesota)
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine)
Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Nebraska)
Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Oregon)
Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine)
Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pennsylvania)
Sen. John Sununu (R-New Hampshire)

Yes, five of the seven are vulnerable incumbents up for reelection next year.

One "Democrat" voting against cloture; Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Connecticut)

Presidential candidates Joe Biden (D-Delaware), Chris Dodd (D-Connecticut), John McCain (R-Arizona), Sam Brownback (R-Kansas), and Barack Obama (D-Illinois) were not present to vote, as were Tom Coburn (R-Oklahoma) and of course Tim Johnson (D-South Dakota)

Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) voted Present.

The Bush Press Confrerence

Key Things;

-If you don't listen to him, your kids will die.
-More Americans will be killed in Iraq, get used to it
-Sanctions against Iran will work, just look at how successfull they were in Iraq. (funny thing was, they were, unless you were Iraqi)
-Democrats just want to kick me around because everyone hates me. They bullying me.
-I don't know anything about this guy I'm talking about, except that he was born in Mexico, but he's great.

I'm still waiting for the one line that will restore my respect in this President...this one;

"I've screwed this war up so bad, I'm sorry, but I bungled it so bad, that we're stuck there in Iraq for a good long time."

That's all I want to hear from him

Bush Still Defends Gonzales

You can't blame him.

In Bush's world, there's nothing inherently morally questionable about using Executive branch departments, meant to serve the entire American public, to serve the interests of the Republican Party, at least not nearly as immoral as, you know, being gay.

Wake up, this is the view of America the world is seeing people!

Gonzales In This Last Days

The Washington Post says Attorney General Alberto Gonzales will likely resign very soon to avoid what would likely be a successfull no-confidence vote in both Houses of Congress.

How soon? Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pennsylvania) says a no-confidence vote may be held this week before the Memorial Day break.

I still have money riding that Gonzales won't last to Memorial Day and it looks like I'll just make it under the wire.

Vote Of No Confidence, Part Deux

In the other House now.

Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-California) and Senator Chuck Schumer (D-New York) called yesterday for a vote of no confidence in Attorney General Alberto Gonzales in the Senate

Today, the same call was made in the House of Representatives.

Rep. Artur Davis (D-Alabama) is joining forces with Rep. Adam Schiff (D-California) to call for a vote of no confidence in the Attorney General in the other House of Congress.

The votes would merely be symbolic and meant to urge the Attorney General to step down by voicing the "will of the people" as Congress is supposed to do.

It's almost obvious it will pass in the House and likely to pass in the Senate as well. I'm still surprise Gonzales has lasted this long.

Vote Of No Confidence

They do it in parliamentary systems, so why not here?

Providing it's Constitutional...and I have yet to hear any arguments that it's not...I think the Senate should hold a vote of no confidence on Gonzales.

I'm very sure it'll succeed and force Gonzales to resign.

McCain: Gonzales Should Resign

John McCain joins the ever growing chorus of voices calling for Alberto Gonzales to leave his job.

How loud does the chorus have to get before the Bush Administration hears it, winches and decides it's too loud to ignore?

Senator Urges Gonzales To Resign

And it's not Kennedy, Schumer or Leahy

It's Senator Tom Coburn (R-Oklahoma)...You heard right, Coburn of Oklahoma;

"The best way to put this behind us is your resignation," Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Oklahoma)

Democrats really didn't have to put more pressure on the Attorney General. Republicans were doing it for them;

"Why is your story changing?" Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa)
"Most of this is a stretch" Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina)
"I guess I'm more concerned about your recollection really." Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Alabama)

I'd say this man is toast, but I thought he'd be gone already. It looks to me like the Senate is going to beat this guy up for awhile and then let him go.

At least the Republicans are learning the art of oversight. They seemed to have forgotten that after 2001.

Gonzales Faces The Senate Tomorrow

Delayed two days, but set for tomorrow, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales goes before the Senate tomorrow to save his job.

Stay tuned for updates tomorrow.

Gonzales Testimony Delayed Till Thursday

On account of the VA Tech massacre.

I haven't been really paying attention to much else today, except for this horrible situation in Virginia.

I hope to get back to the nitty gritty of politics tomorrow or Wednesday.

Right now, we're witnessing history, and something that will likely affect the gun control debate in the future.

Gonzales' Last Days

Newt Gingrich joined the ranks of Senators John Sununu (R-New Hampshire), Gordon Smith (R-Oregon) and Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-California), Tom Tancredo (R-Colorado) and Lee Terry (R-Nebraska) in saying Gonzales should have to resign.

The GOP is leaving him to whither on the vine. He'll be gone by summer.

They’re NOT Political Pawns

An aide to Alberto Gonzales is about to inform Congress that the eight federal prosecutors who were controversially fired were let go because they weren't lock step behind the President's priorities, but rather their own. That is EXACTLY why the Attorney General is in hot water right now. For once they are admitting the truth. The problem is, the truth isn't an issue for them. They think it is perfectly fine to fire prosecutors because they aren't lining up behind the President's politics. This administration honestly believed that federal prosecutors ARE political pawns to be used in the game of political chess by the President. I don't know what is scarier, the people who believe this or the American peoples for electing the man who put these people in positions of power.

They serve at the pleasure of the President…I've heard that phrase over a hundred times this week alone. Sure, the President has a right to fire them because they don't agree with everything he wants. That doesn't make him a criminal…that makes him a jerk. Yes, I said jerk. Federal prosecutors are not political pawns. They are not there to be used to help the President and especially not the President's party. If it is true that they were fired for not putting the President's priorities first, then that lets us know what the President's priorities are; not the American people, not to protect democracy, but the improve his standing and help his party win elections. Even then, they serve at the pleasure of the PRESIDENT, not the Attorney General, nor his chief of staff, nor the White House Counsel, nor the Deputy White House Chief of Staff, and even then, new prosecutors MUST be confirmed by the Senate, thereby eliminating a chance the President would abuse his power like this.

I've read a good number of the e-mails between Kyle Sampson, Gonzales' chief of staff, and Harriet Miers, the former White House Counsel. It is clear by reading them that people in the White House conspired to abuse a clause in the PATRIOT Act to oust federal prosecutors and replace them without any say from any other branch of the government. Take Arkansas where Bud Cummings was replaced by Karl Rove's little friend. Rove's friend would never have been confirmed by the Senate, but thanks to the glorious PATRIOT Act, he doesn't have to be. The Senate, the Legislative Branch, does not check the Executive Branch's power, despite the fact that was the way the government was designed.

You can invoke the fact that Bill Clinton fired all 93 prosecutors when he became President. He, of course, had to get all 93 replacements confirmed by the Senate, albeit a Democratic Senate. If President Bush had fired all 93 prosecutors in early 2005, I guarantee to you there would not be an issue today, but he didn't. He allowed members of his staff to conspire and he allowed his unelected Attorney General, hand pink slips to eight prosecutors who did not help the Republicans keep Congress, which is not at all the job of the prosecutors. Let it be known that if NOT for that overlooked clause of the PATRIOT Act, this NEVER would've happened because the President would have to have gotten his replacement approved by the Senate, and because they were all fired in December and January, he would've gotten them approved in a Democratic Senate.

Also, once again, the Justice Department admits it LIED to the US Senate over the role Karl Rove played in this mess, or rather didn't lie, but "misinformed." The Justice Department told four Democratic Senators that they did not know of any involvement Karl Rove may have had in the appointment of his pal Tim Griffin to be US Attorney in Arkansas. They know admit that they did know about his involvement, they were just "mistaken." Gonzales still stands by his statement that he had no idea what was going on. I find it funny his only defense is that he is grossly incompetent. So he's either incompetent or he's unethical…either way, really, should he still be the Attorney General?

Gonzales is due to go before Congress on April 17^th…assuming he survives that long.

The Fifth

You know, for an administration that has so much animosity for the first ten amendments to the Constitution, they sure have a sudden love affair with the fifth.

It's not a good thing for them that an aid to the Attorney General is pleading the Fifth Amendment. Let's read, verbatim, what the Fifth Amendment says;

"No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation."

Yeah, so, pretty much she's guilty of something and admitting the truth would force her to confess to something, and, thanks to the document the Bush Administration loves to forget exists, she has that right.

If anything, perhaps the Democrats can offer Ms. Goodling immunity from prosecution so she won't have to plead the Fifth. (Immunity means she cannot be charged with anything she incriminated herself with, for those of you who didn't already know.)

UPDATE: It appears a legal reader of Andrew Sullivan's already thought of my idea about immunity, but since he's a legal reader, he has more background on this than I do...here's the link

GOP Will Not Block Funding Bill

Stating that they know the President will veto it, Democrats will not be able to override the veto, and will likely have to give in and give the President a bill that doesn't include what they refer to as a "surrender date," the Senate GOP will not filibuster the House emergency supplemental bill.

The bill is facing a tight vote in the Senate, but most Democrats are expected to support the bill. Senator Ben Nelson (D-Nebraska) probably the most conservative Democrat in the Senate announced he was supporting the bill. Senator Mark Pryor (D-Arkansas) is on the fence. Both earlier opposed a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq along with Senator Joe Lieberman (Whatever-Connecticut). Senator Gordon Smith (R-Oregon) supported the timetable and, with one or two other moderate endangered Republican Senators, may have to support this bill in order for it to pass. It sounds like the Democrats have the 51 votes needed to pass the bill.

With the president's veto imminent, Democrats will have to prepare for the reality that they may lose this battle over the Iraq war one last time. Failing to change the bill to support the president's desires, as much as I don't want to change the bill to fit his wants and needs, will mean no funding for the troops and will lead to a sudden, unprepared withdrawal from Iraq which will only exacerbate the Republican arguments; that is assuming he even withdraws the troops at all and doesn't decide to leave them there as sitting ducks for the Iraqi insurgency and use them as a political tool against the Democrats.

It's a fine line the Democrats walk here, but the public is on their side. 60% of the country supports the Democrats' bill, while only 33% support the President's approach.

My prediction is the Democrats give in to the president one last time, but reiterate to the President that this WILL BE the last time. Voters snarl at the Democrats for not being tough enough, but it gives them another battling cry and brings Bush down even further. Another six months of being tough on the president to find a way out and when the next funding bill comes up for a vote, closer to the 2008 elections, we may have a different story.

Meanwhile, they investigate the bad ethics and corruption inside the administration and take the eye off their lack of power over the war.

Gonzales Running Out Friends

The Attorney General is coming closer to being alone in the political world.

Senator Arlen Specter (R-Pennsylvania) and Chuck Hagel (R-Nebraska) both joined the chorus of those who are quickly losing faith in Gonzales;

Specter;

“We have to have an attorney general who is candid and truthful. And if we find out he’s not been candid and truthful, that’s a very compelling reason for him not to stay on."

Hagel;

"Gonzales does have a credibility problem. ... We govern with one currency, and that’s trust. And that trust is all important. And when you lose or debase that currency, then you can’t govern. And I think he’s going to have some difficulties."

Meanwhile, Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-California) joined other Democrats in calling for Gonzales to resign. Two of the fired prosecutors came from California

Feinstein;

“I believe he should step down, and I don’t like saying this. This is not my natural personality at all. But I think the nation is not well served by this. I think we need to get at the bottom of why these resignations were made, who ordered them, and what the strategy was.”

Gonzales still has the support of one Republican senator, Orrin Hatch (R-Utah).

UPDATE: Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) is beginning to lose some faith in the Attorney General, commenting that Gonzales has been "wounded";

Graham;

"He has said some things that just don't add up,"

LIAR!

Looks like Attorney General Gonzales has been caught with his pants down.

Earlier, the Attorney General admitted that he did not know any of this was going on. Now, it appears he not only knew what was going on…he himself authorized it!

No wonder the President doesn't want his staff to testify under oath, they lie like its part of the job description.

I agree with Harry Reid; Gonzales' days are numbered